Majority of mothers do not exercise because they feel guilty about being away from their children, Sport England study finds
- Sport England found children with active parents more likely to be active too
- But 61% of mothers feel bad about taking time out for themselves to exercise
- Instead of prioritising exercise, mothers focus on housework and cooking
The majority of mothers feel guilty about taking time out to exercise instead of being with their family, new research suggests.
Although more than three-quarters of mothers want to do more exercise, 61 per cent feel bad about taking time for themselves, a Sport England survey has revealed.
This comes despite the public body linking active parents to healthier attitudes towards exercise among children later in life.
The survey of 1,006 mothers of children under the age of six found that lack of time was the top reason given for not doing exercise.
Instead of keeping fit, women are prioritising housework, cooking, and spending time with their family.
The majority of mothers feel guilty about taking time out to exercise instead of being with their family, a Sport England survey has found (file photo)
As well as this, three in 10 of the women questioned said they had less than an hour of free time each day, and one in five said cost was the main thing preventing them from staying active.
Lisa O’Keefe, insight director at Sport England said: ‘Children with active parents – particularly mothers – are more likely to be active themselves.
‘And children who have positive experiences of sport and physical activity early on are also more likely to prioritise being active in later life.
‘All of us have a role to play in making mums feel okay about prioritising getting active as they would other things in their lives.’
Fewer than one in five mothers said they prioritise their own exercise when asked about their habits by the This Girl Can campaign, which want women of all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities to engage in physical activity.
To help get women back into exercise, Sport England are releasing advice and home workout ideas on social media through This Girl Can.
The public body hope to help address the gap between men and women playing sport, as children with active parents are more likely to be active themselves (file photo)
Psychologist Emma Kenny said the research emphasises the importance of ‘self-care’.
She said: ‘As a mum, you may believe that looking after everyone else’s needs is your main priority, but the truth is that you need to look after everyone else first and foremost, because that ensures you have the energy to look after those you love.’
Back in 2017, Sport England released advice for those in the exercise sector to help encourage women get into sport.
The document, called ‘Go Where Women Are’, hopes to help address the barriers to women exercising regularly.
WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO EXERCISE FOR WOMEN?
According to a survey from 2014, there are two million fewer women playing sport than men in Britain, and more men exercise than women in every age group except over 65s.
Research by Sport England suggests that there are a number of reasons behind this sport or exercise gap. Even the word ‘sport’ has negative connotation for women as it can be seen as too competitive, and criticisms of muscular bodies of professional sports women can put people off.
Sport also isn’t seen as ‘directly relevant’ to women’s everyday lives – research suggests that to get women exercising regularly it must align with their other values. For example, exercise can be a good way to spend time with your family or friends, it can perk you up before work or an event, and it can help you de-stress from other aspects of life.
Other barriers include the fear of being judged, whether in the weights room, or by other people who may think you should be spending time with your children instead, time and cost, and a lack of information.
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